This Week in Our Haven: No. 27
This week in our haven we have been anticipating spring break and a welcome intermission from the school routine. Even though we are a family that generally thrives when we have a routine, it is nice to have a break once in a while too. I know I am looking forward to some quality family time this week. It might seem strange to say that because for over a year now the three of us have been spending the vast majority of our time together under the same roof. During the school day we are in our separate work spaces doing our own separate activities for much of the day, so it will be different and good to spend our day doing activities together.
Shop announcements:
Joanna testing whether the newest Huggables live up to their name
What we’re talking about: How we’re going to spend our spring break week, Easter weekend, and Joanna’s birthday weekend have been the hot conversational topics this week. I can already tell you that we have plans to practice riding Joanna’s new bike and start our vegetable garden seeds. We are hoping to grow our biggest garden yet and I’m really excited about working together on it all summer long!
What we’re making: I’ve been making plans for how to celebrate Easter this year and a big part of that is deciding how to fill and decorate Easter eggs. Joanna said she wants to paint eggs this year, so we will probably follow this tutorial to make paint that is safe to use on real eggs. (We don’t hide our real eggs because we like to be sure they are safe to eat, so we want to use a decorating method that is also food safe.) I also thought I’d share my top ten ideas for non-food or candy items to put in plastic eggs. Because, while I definitely have my favorite Easter candies, I like to make sure there are other surprises to look forward to. In no particular order, they are:
Coupons for privileges like 15 extra minutes of screen time or an extra book at bedtime
Separate a toy set that has small parts like a Lego kit, Plus Plus, or a jigsaw puzzle
Craft supplies like pom-poms, googly eyes, and beads
Small bottles of bath & body products like lip balm and lotion
Stickers
Temporary tattoos
Socks
Small accessories like bracelets, pins, and hair clips
Mini erasers in cute shapes
Clay, putty, slime or playdough (Here’s a great recipe for playdough if you want to try making your own!)
What we’re cooking: This week Joanna made chocolate covered pretzels all by herself. She was so proud of being able to make them without any help. If you’re looking for a simple recipe that kids can make with minimal assistance from an adult, I can’t think of anything better! She melted a milk chocolate bar in the microwave and then dipped each pretzel until she ran out of chocolate. Afterwards, she had to get creative and decorate them with sprinkles, of course. This would make a very sweet gift that kids can make for others too.
What we’re reading: Comic books continue to be the top reading picks for Joanna right now. She just got Peanuts: The Gang’s All Here and is enjoying it a lot. We are also reading Doodleville, which would be a great pick for any child who is struggling to understand their emotions.
Here’s hoping you also have some fun activities to look forward to in the coming week! Have a great weekend.
(Disclosure: I do not receive any compensation for the recommendations, links, or reviews I post here. All opinions are my own.)
